Pilots receive a full briefing from Greg Rolle of the Bahamas Tourism office at Banyan Air's superb facility

“Too much fun!” was a common exclamation of my Alaska ultralight friend, Mike Jacober. His signature phrase ran through my head as 18 airplanes, mostly LSA, arrived at the Freeport, Bahamas airport for the first Sport Pilot Fly-in over December 10-12, 2010. *** For many this was their first flight over the ocean (including yours truly). It isn’t far — 85 nautical miles, less than one hour — and it isn’t hard (unless you go for a swim en route… none of us did, thank goodness!). But flying out of sight of land, even for a short time, is rather attention-getting.

*** A number of us gathered at Banyan Air Service at the Fort Lauderdale Executive getting first-class treatment and fuel discounts from this “gateway FBO” to the Bahamas. Bahamas Tourism/Aviation director (and fellow pilot) Greg Rolle gave a thorough presentation of the requirements to fly internationally. Each pilot had to complete lots of government forms but they weren’t too difficult and the great help made it go quickly. Then, we all gathered our resolve, fired up our engines, and took off across the Big Drink. Of course, this is nothing for those few LSAers who have crossed the Atlantic andPacific, but it had me on my toes and I suspect most of us felt similarly.

The Light Sport Aircraft group departing from Banyan Air Service

*** An hour later, we landed one after another at Freeport to a warm reception by Bahamian authorities and tourist office staffers. We breezed through Customs and waiting taxicabs took us to a deluxe resort where we could all revel in our satisfaction of making the ocean-crossing voyage. Jacob Peed of Aviators Hot Line / Light Aviation Edition provided customized tee shirts for all participants with their aircraft name and N-number. Nice idea, Jake! *** Thanks for this great experience go to Randy Hansen and David Oord of EAA who worked with the Bahamas Tourism team to make the Sport Pilot certificate accepted at all airports throughout the islands. All participants have many people to thank but the Bahamas team leaders include Greg Rolle and Leonard Stuart (photo).

You — nor any Bahamian officials — have ever seen this: a row of LSA at the Freeport airport.

*** Continuing Bahamas Fly-ins and other LSA activities are planned and if you get the chance, be sure to take the opportunity. Special thanks to Breezer Aircraft USA boss, Mike Z, who loaned me a Breezer, and who very competently helped me prepare for the flight. Mike’s enterprise plans regular Bahamas fly-outs and you should contact him for advice. He’s a wealth of knowledge, having lived on and sailed throughout the islands for five winters.

Enjoying the night life near Lucaya Resort. Pictured are (R-L): Mike Z, Jacob Peed (kneeling), Bahamas rep Leonard Stuart, Randee Laskewitz, and Dan Johnson.

To read more blogs by Dan Johnson, visit his website at www.bydanjohnson.com.

Traffic awareness is everyone’s concern so next time you are in the Banyan Pilot Shop be sure to check out the new ZAON side by side comparison display of the Portable Collision Avoidance Systems (PCAS) MRX and XRX. The XRX is the only portable device to offer 360° direction and MRX is the smallest, most accurate traffic alerter at the lowest cost. PCAS the best-selling traffic choice for general aviation.

The ZAON PCAS XRX Collision Avoidance System is the flagship model, providing a complete picture in a simple, easy-to-use device. PCAS represents their third generation of proven traffic detection technology. XRX is truly a “Plug and Go” device with its built-in antenna system and built-in display.

Key Features

• “3-D” view Quadrant Direction, 45° increments
• Instant traffic updates with no delays
• Tiny, unobtrusive size (3.9” x 3.6” x 2.7”)
• Completely portable and self-contained
• Digital range, scalable from 6NM to 1NM
• Audio voice alerts for threats and advisories are included, with both Headset-Direct™ hookup and in-cabin output
• Relative altitude, scalable from ±2500 ft to ±500 ft, with ascending/descending indicator
• Designed for metal, composite or fabric-covered airframes, high- or low-wing
• Displays top three intruders
• A built-in altimeter, a built-in compass, and built-in turn/bank and internal thermal sensing provide the highest, real-time accuracy available
• Built-in directional antenna
• Menu-driven interface, with selectable aircraft profiles and advanced calibration options
• Displays the local squawk code, pressure altitude, bank angle, bearing and temperature
• Integrates with third-party moving map and EFIS systems, including Garmin, Blue Mountain, and others.

The ZAON MRX Collision Avoidance System is the world’s smallest collision avoidance device at half the size, yet sacrifices none of the features upper-end systems have become known for.

Key Features

• Digital range, scalable from 5NM to 1NM
• Relative altitude, scalable from ±2500 ft to ±500 ft, with ascending/descending indicator
• Menu-driven interface
• A built-in altimeter provides the highest, real-time accuracy available
• Displays the local squawk code and altitude
• Audio alerts for threats and advisories
• Installation kits are available
• Super-bright red LED display is easily read, even in direct sunlight, and can be dimmed for night use
• Indestructible polycarbonate semi-translucent housing ensures cooler operating temperatures on the glare shield, even in direct sunlight (no burning your hands as with metal enclosures)

To learn more about the ZAON or to demo one, stop by the Banyan Pilot Shop today or visit www.banyanpilotshop.net.

To ensure that all the teammates in the Banyan Pilot Shop are on top of their game to help out customers, they participate in continuous training. Recently, the Banyan Pilot Shop teammates participated in AMI (Aviation Management International) GPU training and Revere Survival Products training. Representatives came from both AMI and Revere Survival product to provide teammates with on-site instruction and answer questions.

Thanks to the AMI GPU training, teammates will be able to provide in-depth knowledge to customers about the different units available and ensure that the correct model is purchased for the correct need.

The Revere Survival training provided teammates with valuable information about new products available and additional information about Revere products that are currently being carried at the Banyan Pilot Shop.

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